What is happening with GTAM

N3WMAN said:
What's teenage got to do with it? Isn't that what you're doing right now anyway?


The policing of posts has gone up in conjunction with the level of stupid. Same as it ever was imo, just more morons posting all the time.
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I don't think the number of stupid people has increased, I think the amount of smart people has decreased hence why the stupidity seems more prominent
 
I haven't been on here that long so I don't know who the regulars are except for a couple of people, I just come in here & read when I am not watching strippers!
 
I asked Cutekill about this face to face at the show this past weekend. She explained the situation, it's tough overall because it's a fine balance between the posted rules which are pretty clear and common sense and what I perceive as entertainment. I do understand and a good example of this was last night.

2WET is someone I find entertaining to read for many reasons. Last night in the ROC thread he explained the origin of Roomie's handle. The entire thread got deleted. It was hilarious to me, but it was also against the rules because Roomie could have construed it as a hostile personal attack upon his person as it was stated factually rather than speculatively, and bordered on what some would perceive as hate speech.

The mods are only fulfilling the mandate. The question should really be is the mandate correct and acceptable? I think it is. At the end of the day, they would like to stay legit.
 
Lightcycle said:
Having been here awhile, I've realized the forum is like a high school. There's a three or four year cycle where new members log in, they're super excited and post a million times a day, they organize group rides, find and meet other riders that join GTAM about the same time and create an online clique for that period of time.

After about 3-4 years, some give up riding, others get sick of discussing the same topics so they stop visiting or posting. They basically graduate from GTAM, still keep in touch with the clique that they joined the forum at the same time. Then a new batch of users come in and the cycle is repeated.

The users that still hang out here with a join date of ~2002, those are like the 25-year old guys in the Trans Am that still hang out in the high school parking lot... :)

The analogy holds up further: every generation is going to have a class clown, the girl that gets all the attention, a nerd, a stoner, a rebel without a clue. GTAM is basically a John Hughes movie played out every 4 years.
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perfectly put. No trans-am, but I did have a Reliant K though.
 
Once a few women join who are looknig for someone to show them how to ride, the forum traffic will pick up
 
N3WMAN said:
More shocking that after 14 years people are still asking the same questions.
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Those users have long since "graduated". Motorcycling is not quantum physics. There are no regular groundbreaking discoveries about riding a bike. People get what they need when they first start out, then realize they've quickly outgrown GTAM and then move on.

It's like going back to your old grade school and exclaiming, "OMG! They've shrunk the chairs! I can remember the good old days when the chairs were regular size, now it's all small and everything totally sucks..."

GTAM never had a heyday. It's always been the same.
 
What's happening? This:
Computer_graph_created_by_trial_and_error.jpg


The numbers don't lie.
 
Sunspark said:
I asked Cutekill about this face to face at the show this past weekend. She explained the situation, it's tough overall because it's a fine balance between the posted rules which are pretty clear and common sense and what I perceive as entertainment. I do understand and a good example of this was last night.

2WET is someone I find entertaining to read for many reasons. Last night in the ROC thread he explained the origin of Roomie's handle. The entire thread got deleted. It was hilarious to me, but it was also against the rules because Roomie could have construed it as a hostile personal attack upon his person as it was stated factually rather than speculatively, and bordered on what some would perceive as hate speech.

The mods are only fulfilling the mandate. The question should really be is the mandate correct and acceptable? I think it is. At the end of the day, they would like to stay legit.
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This is an age old question at most forums. I am a mod and a super mod at a few forums, (Not bike related). One of these forums is huge, (325,000 registered members). For those who don't know a moderator is a VOLUNTEER position. At many forums if a member posts informative factual posts and is seen to be helpful other members, then the forum owners approach them about joining the "staff" The number of mods and super mods, (who generally have no more authority than do regular mods, they are just viewed as the "best of the best" and get promoted into that position, not all forums have super mods), generally depends on the size of the forum and the various areas of "specialization" Some forums may have mods who are only appointed to specific sub forums, (perhaps the technical area), as they are more technically orientated. The site with 325,000 members as an example has 3 ADMINS, 10 Super MODs and approx 25 moderators.

Now most forums also have a mods forum, (which is not viewable to the average member), and the staff will discuss, various "issues" amongst the staff there on some forums a mod can without reservation immediately ban someone who violates a site rule. I have been on staff where a post is put into "Moderation" making it invisible to members, the staff then discuss it and a consensus is reached and then discipline is implemented. Some forums also have an "escalation policy" where your first minor offence brings a warning and then subsequent infractions involve say a 1 day suspension, then 3 days, etc up till a perm ban is issued.

It truly is a fine line for the staff as well as the owners of a site, as to how harsh the policies and rules are enforced. At times they rules may be updated, and even some ask the members about which rules are important.

In the end EACH forum is a privately held and owned entity. I am on some US forums and often hear "it is my right to free speech to say that" Well seeing it is privately held there is NO right to "free speech". Just as you can tell people what is acceptable in your home so can the site owner, (and by extension) the staff tell members what is acceptable in "their house". If a member doesn't like the rules then just like your house they are asked to leave or if they object to the rules they are free to leave and not come back..lol

I am sure the admins here at GTAM are constantly watching threads such as this just are the staff, (and it is likely being discussed at the staff level). Will it mean a more "warm and fuzzy" approach by the staff?? No one except those in the staff forums will likely know. I have seen some of the members go way over the line and not be disciplined, whilst others have been dealt with swiftly. I think IMHO that the staff have served the forum members VERY well. I am the first to stand up if I think something is amiss.

In the end the "balancing act" is one which is in constant eb and flow. If a site rules are laxly enforced mayhem ensues and members leave. If they are too strictly enforced then members also leave. The admins, staff and owners ALL want more members and more posts so they must gauge the job they are doing on an ongoing basis.

I have been "brought in" by some forum owners as, their forums are rife with mayhem to help "clean it up" and restore the forum. I have also come on board to help generate more traffic to a forum. Staff are often the ones who suggest new sub forums to help drive traffic to the site. If you keep the same sub forums for too long they tend to stagnate and then traffic volumes drop off.

But as some others have said, MOST forums undergo a constant change over of members as members join and leave the hobby. IF however, a forum is well rounded it keeps members who may no longer ride as they enjoy other aspects of the site.

I know LONG post but hopefully it sheds some light on the workings of a forum and that a site is not just something someone creates in a few days or weeks and it is self running..lol
 
hedo2002 said:
This is an age old question at most forums. I am a mod and a super mod at a few forums, (Not bike related). One of these forums is huge, (325,000 registered members). For those who don't know a moderator is a VOLUNTEER position. At many forums if a member posts informative factual posts and is seen to be helpful other members, then the forum owners approach them about joining the "staff" The number of mods and super mods, (who generally have no more authority than do regular mods, they are just viewed as the "best of the best" and get promoted into that position, not all forums have super mods), generally depends on the size of the forum and the various areas of "specialization" Some forums may have mods who are only appointed to specific sub forums, (perhaps the technical area), as they are more technically orientated. The site with 325,000 members as an example has 3 ADMINS, 10 Super MODs and approx 25 moderators.

Now most forums also have a mods forum, (which is not viewable to the average member), and the staff will discuss, various "issues" amongst the staff there on some forums a mod can without reservation immediately ban someone who violates a site rule. I have been on staff where a post is put into "Moderation" making it invisible to members, the staff then discuss it and a consensus is reached and then discipline is implemented. Some forums also have an "escalation policy" where your first minor offence brings a warning and then subsequent infractions involve say a 1 day suspension, then 3 days, etc up till a perm ban is issued.

It truly is a fine line for the staff as well as the owners of a site, as to how harsh the policies and rules are enforced. At times they rules may be updated, and even some ask the members about which rules are important.

In the end EACH forum is a privately held and owned entity. I am on some US forums and often hear "it is my right to free speech to say that" Well seeing it is privately held there is NO right to "free speech". Just as you can tell people what is acceptable in your home so can the site owner, (and by extension) the staff tell members what is acceptable in "their house". If a member doesn't like the rules then just like your house they are asked to leave or if they object to the rules they are free to leave and not come back..lol

I am sure the admins here at GTAM are constantly watching threads such as this just are the staff, (and it is likely being discussed at the staff level). Will it mean a more "warm and fuzzy" approach by the staff?? No one except those in the staff forums will likely know. I have seen some of the members go way over the line and not be disciplined, whilst others have been dealt with swiftly. I think IMHO that the staff have served the forum members VERY well. I am the first to stand up if I think something is amiss.

In the end the "balancing act" is one which is in constant eb and flow. If a site rules are laxly enforced mayhem ensues and members leave. If they are too strictly enforced then members also leave. The admins, staff and owners ALL want more members and more posts so they must gauge the job they are doing on an ongoing basis.

I have been "brought in" by some forum owners as, their forums are rife with mayhem to help "clean it up" and restore the forum. I have also come on board to help generate more traffic to a forum. Staff are often the ones who suggest new sub forums to help drive traffic to the site. If you keep the same sub forums for too long they tend to stagnate and then traffic volumes drop off.

But as some others have said, MOST forums undergo a constant change over of members as members join and leave the hobby. IF however, a forum is well rounded it keeps members who may no longer ride as they enjoy other aspects of the site.

I know LONG post but hopefully it sheds some light on the workings of a forum and that a site is not just something someone creates in a few days or weeks and it is self running..lol
Click to expand...

I put the moderators on ignore, then they can't ban me.
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